1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for reproducing an image which has a coarser resolution than was used in scanning of the image wherein the original image is opto-electronically scanned point-wise and row-wise with a prescribed resolution and the image signals which are obtained are converted into digital image signals which are combined and reproduced on a monitor with a coarser resolution than was used in scanning. The invention relates in general to the field of image processing in printing technology and in particular to reproduction of images.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known in printing technology to optoelectronically scan an image using scanners and reproduce a printing form. Color corrections and gradation changes are made in processing the electronic image signals. The results of these corrections normally can be observed in the final printed product. However, in order to be able to judge before printing if the printing form meets the demands of quality which are to be obtained in the final reproduction, color value evaluation devices are employed and the color image is reproduced on a monitor so as to appear as closely as possible to the final print. For example, such apparatus is described in German AS No. 26 07 623. With such prior art devices, only one respective image can be displayed at a time which is in a format that corresponds to the size of the monitor or is smaller than the monitor.
It is desired in modern image processing systems to also display larger images or, respectively, image montages such as full pages and for this purpose the resolution of the monitor makes it necessary to correspondingly reduce the number of reproduced image points as compared to the resolution during scanning. German AS No. 27 12 025 discloses an arrangement for changing the format of a video image wherein the format change is accomplished by skipping individual lines. This system simply omits information. Such systems result in a deterioration of the image quality which is disadvantageous for purposes of printing technology in which extremely fine color corrections must still be made visible.